Irises

The iris clan is like a huge extended family, with cousins from Siberia, Japan, Holland, Germany and more. Like all families they share some traits, in this case slender foliage, flowers topping straight scapes, a preference for sunny sites, easy care and early season blooms. From there the specifics diverge. See below for info on why each earns a place in your garden. (Where are the Japanese and Siberian irises? Swing back in February for these guys.)